


King of Kings

by amoleofmonsters



Series: Sheith Month 2018 Fics [13]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Character Death, M/M, Pagan Gods, Rebirth, Sheith Month 2018, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 08:31:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15384834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amoleofmonsters/pseuds/amoleofmonsters
Summary: "In many other realities, your fate is intertwined with his. I have seen what happens when you lose each other and it’s often disastrous."--For Sheith Month 2018. Day 17: Rebirth





	King of Kings

**Author's Note:**

> God, I'm so behind schedule. Here's my fic for Day 17! It takes place in my Royalty AU, [A King And His Castle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15309735/chapters/35519361), but I'm not entirely sure if this is the direction I want to take this fic. It's starting to go off course a bit, but this was sort of the original idea and I still wanted to write it out because I thought it was a powerful scene. I'm probably gonna write a couple more chapters for this AU using sheith month prompts, but I'm gonna put those prompts off until the end of the month so I can write other stuff in the meantime and don't exhaust my passion for this AU.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr at sharkrinsoup.tumblr.com!

The river pulled Keith downstream; the soil of the riverbank broke off in his hand as he scrambled for purchase. Water flowed into his mouth and eyes; he struggled to breathe. His left hand clutched Shiro, sheering pain in his bleeding fingers. He knew that if he tossed the unconscious man aside and dived for shore, he would make it, but he’d rather die with Shiro than save himself. He tried hooking the bottom of the river with his ankles to stop their movement, but the water was far too deep. 

Just as he became certain that the river would claim both him and Shiro, he felt himself slam into something large. He looked back to see that his body had crashed into a bolder protruding from the shore. Catching his breath, Keith slid himself along the rock and hoisted Shiro’s body up and out of the water. Once Shiro was safe, Keith grabbed a branch and pulled himself up, crashing onto his back onto to the dirt. He rolled over and pressed his face to Shiro’s chest, not caring that his injured hand was dripping blood. 

He couldn’t hear a heartbeat. He pressed his hands onto Shiro’s chest and pushed down, desperate to push the water out of his lungs. Taking Shiro’s chin in his, he tried to force air down, but it was no use. Shiro didn’t budge. A violent scream ripped out of Keith’s lungs as he clutched at Shiro’s chest where the crest of Voltron sat. “Shiro! Shiro, you can’t die! You can’t leave me! No, no, no!” He sobbed, hot tears pouring down his cheeks. “You idiot, you stupid, stupid idiot!” He slammed his hand down onto the ground, not caring about the sharp pain that traveled up his arm. “Why did you try to take my place? It should have been me!” He pressed his face into Shiro’s chest and cried, just cried and screamed, “It should have been me!” 

Keith wasn’t sure how long he sat there clutching Shiro’s body, unable to stop his screams. He didn’t care if he alerted the entire forest. He didn’t care if he died. His life was over, anyway. It didn’t matter if an enemy soldier came and pierced him in the chest with his sword. As far as Keith was concerned, it was justice. He had so many enemies who yearned to personally end his life and why not make them happy? A world without Shiro in it was not a world he wanted to live in. 

He heard a branch crack and he looked up on instinct, his sobs stopping in their tracks. A hulking beast pressed its face out of the foliage. It was shaped like a wolf, but it was unlike any wolf Keith had ever seen. Even on all fours, it towered over him and its eyes were a piercing yellow. It was black save for light blue markings on its head and blue fur on its back. It approached Shiro’s body and stopped, simply watching the two of them. Keith smiled sadly and sniffed to try and clear his runny nose. “I have no food to give you. I’m a man a moment away from death.” 

The wolf was encased in bright light and Keith was forced to close his eyes and look away, his corneas burning. When he looked back, the wolf was gone. In its place kneeled a dark-skinned woman in a blue dress and a shawl, her blue hair pulled back from her face. She stared at Keith with the same sharp yellow eyes. “Tell me, King of Kings, why you want to die?” 

Keith pushed some of his wet hair out of his face with his right hand. He could feel the dried blood on his cheek. “I’m not the King of Kings. That man is dead right here in my arms. I’m just a useless Prince who thought he could end a war.” 

“When humans are young, they can so rarely understand their future. You are destined for so much more than you think, Prince Keith of Marmora.” She leaned over and pressed her hands to Shiro’s forehead. Keith watched in fascination as a white glow enveloped Shiro’s body. After a few moments, the glow began to recede and Shiro’s chest started to move up and down as he breathed once more. His hair was now a soft white, reminding Keith of moonlight. The woman retracted her hands and smiled. “Others like me believe there is growth in loss. I do not. In many other realities, your fate is intertwined with his. I have seen what happens when you lose each other and it’s often disastrous. Right now, this world needs you and you need him so I give you back the one you love. Treasure him unlike anything you’ve ever treasured before.”

“Are you... are you a God?” 

“I have been mistaken for one before, yes, but you won’t remember me when I leave.” She pats Keith on the cheek and looks down at Shiro. “He should wake soon and when he does, return with him to your people, King of Kings.” Without another word, she transforms back into her wolf form and retreats back into the foliage, leaving Keith once more with Shiro.

Keith doesn’t understand the woman’s words, but it hardly matters. He doesn’t care about his fate so long as it means Shiro is alive and at his side. As far as Keith is concerned, Shiro is his King of Kings. Keith is nothing but a sharp sword, but its Shiro’s tactics that have allowed them to fight in this war. They’d recover from Keith’s death, but never Shiro’s.

Keith can feel Shiro’s soft breathing under his hands, the coloration of his face a more normal hue than what it was only moments before. Keith dropped his head down to Shiro’s chest, his eyes heavy. He would rest and wait for Shiro to wake up. The walk back to camp wasn’t going to be easy.


End file.
